The Legion Shipsuit is an example of high tech field dress used by members of the Legion serving on board spacecraft. The shipsuit is a high end skinsuit worn by legionaries engaged in shipboard duties as a regular working uniform. As a uniform it is typically manifest as a black uniform with silver trim adorned with rank insignia and specialty badges for enlisted members. The chameleon surface can be altered under the control of the suit LCP (Local Control Processor) when circumstances warrant, such as to bright orange in rescue situations or woodland pattern when in the field planetside.
Suit control is effected through the touch display located on the suit's left sleeve. Certain suit functions can also be activated using touch switches located at certain points of the suit, for example a collar switch can be used to activate the helmet extruder.
As a high end skinsuit the Legion shipsuit includes the ability to extrude an airtight helmet and gloves for vacuum survival. The helmet includes a heads-up display (HUD). The suit has integrated communication and while it does not have it's own full sensor suite it can interface with internal ship's systems when worn on a Legion spacecraft or a CMC. It does have minimum temperature and atmosphere safety sensors, a multi-spectrum vision system and both general and spot lighting capability.
While not meant for use in high radiation environments, being an IVA (intravehicular activity) suit, shipsuits do contain both a low-g B/G harness useful for propulsion in microgravity and micro-g boots. This is to enhance their capability in shipboard damage control situations.
The suit is intended for use in the field in a wide range of habitable environments and so contains both an integrated heating and cooling system and the ability to extrude a cold weather hood.
Like most skinsuits the shipsuit contains a re-breather pack and a mini tank which gives 30 minutes of air. They
also have an external connection to allow use with a small tank giving
12 hours of air or a fixed system for virtually unlimited air.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Smart Materials
The term Smart Materials encompasses a class of designed materials whose properties can be significantly changed by controlled external stimuli. The first smart materials were developed during the Progressive Era. The range of smart material properties is extensive.
Smart materials are used extensively in the technology of the Grand Human Union and in many of the Midlands and even some of the Wilds. Programmable matter is a type of smart material that is used extensively in spacecraft construction, clothing, and instrumentation.
Smart material can change its shape, conductivity, optical properties, moduli, density, electrical properties and even it's magnetic and gravitic properties.
The use of smart material allows for operational behavior of devices that would seem almost magical to generations who lived before the Progressive Era.
Some use of smart materials has already been mentioned. For example in airlock construction, vacc suits and cybersuits.
Smart materials are used extensively in the technology of the Grand Human Union and in many of the Midlands and even some of the Wilds. Programmable matter is a type of smart material that is used extensively in spacecraft construction, clothing, and instrumentation.
Smart material can change its shape, conductivity, optical properties, moduli, density, electrical properties and even it's magnetic and gravitic properties.
The use of smart material allows for operational behavior of devices that would seem almost magical to generations who lived before the Progressive Era.
Some use of smart materials has already been mentioned. For example in airlock construction, vacc suits and cybersuits.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Space Combat extended
Space combat was been lightly covered in previous posts. Within the Highlands any ship-on-ship actions are primarily single ship-on-ship police or anti-piracy affairs conducted primarily by Ranger units on corvettes or schooners. From time to time a Frigate patrolling the border between the frontier and the Midlands might find itself engaged by a foreign vessel or multiple hostile vessels of a subordinate class.
Outside the Highlands, in the Midlands or the Wild large scale squadron, task force or fleet battles are much more likely. Such combat is very much different in scope and character from single ship actions. While a Frigate embarks support craft and might deploy pinnace to act as scouts or pickets or even have fighting vehicles or battleriders to act as support craft they typically do not have the long range reconnaissance or Command and Control systems necessary to engage in fleet level actions.
During one-on-one actions vessels typically depend upon their own sensor suites to locate enemy vessels, direct fire control and engage enemies.
During fleet actions major combatants, such as dreadnoughts and superdreadnoughts use pickets made up of destroyers and battleriders to deploy sensor nets, act as forward firecontrol nodes and provide support. To aid in this role destroyers tend to be light on energy weapons, but heavy on missiles. They primarily use railguns and light lasers in the anti-missile roll. Destroyers are small enough to employ relatively effective stealth and cloaking technology, like the more heavily armored battelriders.
In real space combat even the most powerful energy weapons are limited to 300,000 miles range. In subspace their range is a twentieth of that. At those ranges sensor response lags only a second. Missiles are effective at distances far beyond the range at which sensor response lags by minutes. Sensor nets can also be effectively deploy at distances which result in information minutes or hours old being the most recent data upon which response decisions must be made. Likewise large dispersed sensor nets can detect objects at distances so great that the information is an hour and a half old by the time the information reaches its control node.
Outside the Highlands, in the Midlands or the Wild large scale squadron, task force or fleet battles are much more likely. Such combat is very much different in scope and character from single ship actions. While a Frigate embarks support craft and might deploy pinnace to act as scouts or pickets or even have fighting vehicles or battleriders to act as support craft they typically do not have the long range reconnaissance or Command and Control systems necessary to engage in fleet level actions.
During one-on-one actions vessels typically depend upon their own sensor suites to locate enemy vessels, direct fire control and engage enemies.
During fleet actions major combatants, such as dreadnoughts and superdreadnoughts use pickets made up of destroyers and battleriders to deploy sensor nets, act as forward firecontrol nodes and provide support. To aid in this role destroyers tend to be light on energy weapons, but heavy on missiles. They primarily use railguns and light lasers in the anti-missile roll. Destroyers are small enough to employ relatively effective stealth and cloaking technology, like the more heavily armored battelriders.
In real space combat even the most powerful energy weapons are limited to 300,000 miles range. In subspace their range is a twentieth of that. At those ranges sensor response lags only a second. Missiles are effective at distances far beyond the range at which sensor response lags by minutes. Sensor nets can also be effectively deploy at distances which result in information minutes or hours old being the most recent data upon which response decisions must be made. Likewise large dispersed sensor nets can detect objects at distances so great that the information is an hour and a half old by the time the information reaches its control node.
Divergence
As originally stated though the background for New Diasporia can be applied to any game system, the game itself was developed using GURPS, primarily 3rd Edition, especially some of the Traveller rules, but also GURPS Space. Here and there other GURPS source book rules are used. Some rules come from GURPS 4th Edition, though modified for use with the 3rd Edition rules.
I have also stated that there are fundamentals of the GURPS Rule set, primarily in Tech Levels, Tech Level advancement and maintenance rules which have been modified, primarily to support the background but also because they don't work reasonably as originally constructed.
During the original playtest for GURPS Traveller it was noted that the rules for missiles and spinal mounts resulted in missiles dominating, a circumstance that did not well reflect the original Traveller material. Several rule modifications were introduced to mitigate this, but resulted in other problems vis a vis ship survivability against spinal mounts.
In New Diasporia this is not so much a problem. Traveller Meson weapons do not exist and particle weapons are primarily relegated to close support planetary use. While Laser and Grazer weapons are used, especially in the close support and anti-missile roles space combat is dominated by missiles.
That is real space combat is dominated by missiles. Subspace combat is another story. In subspace missile drives propel a missile not faster than other B/G powered vessels, making missiles ineffective. Subspace combat is heavily dominated by energy weapons which have very much reduced ranges, just as do sensors.
A variety of energy weapon sizes are available for use on spacecraft. Lasers and Grazers typically mounted in turrets (1500 cuft for turret space, 500 cuft for mounts and rotation space.) New Diasporia turrets typically do not contain crew spaces. Weapons may also be mounted in barbettes. Barbettes come in 2500 cutft and 5000 cuft versions which require 500 cuft and 1000 cuft of internal volume for mounts and rotation space respectively.
Smaller turrets can also be used for close support weapons (which in Traveller are called planetary weapons), but such weapons are typically only mounted on battleriders and small craft like pinnaces.
Weapons may also be fix mounted. Missile tubes may be fixed mounted individually or they may be mounted in missile bays. Missile bays typically come in 25,000 cuft and 50,000 cuft sizes. The difference in fixed mounted weapons and weapons mounted in a bay is that a weapon bay includes a targeting computer and laser communications links sufficient all of its launchers. Fixed mounted weapons must use an external computer with the proper software and a separate communication suite, which is probably mounted in a turret somewhere.
It is also possible to fix mount an energy weapon, but only the battleriders use spinal mounted energy weapons, typically heavily supplemented by missile tubes for use in the anti-missile role. A fixed mounted energy weapon cannot be used in the anti-missile role.
I have also stated that there are fundamentals of the GURPS Rule set, primarily in Tech Levels, Tech Level advancement and maintenance rules which have been modified, primarily to support the background but also because they don't work reasonably as originally constructed.
During the original playtest for GURPS Traveller it was noted that the rules for missiles and spinal mounts resulted in missiles dominating, a circumstance that did not well reflect the original Traveller material. Several rule modifications were introduced to mitigate this, but resulted in other problems vis a vis ship survivability against spinal mounts.
In New Diasporia this is not so much a problem. Traveller Meson weapons do not exist and particle weapons are primarily relegated to close support planetary use. While Laser and Grazer weapons are used, especially in the close support and anti-missile roles space combat is dominated by missiles.
That is real space combat is dominated by missiles. Subspace combat is another story. In subspace missile drives propel a missile not faster than other B/G powered vessels, making missiles ineffective. Subspace combat is heavily dominated by energy weapons which have very much reduced ranges, just as do sensors.
A variety of energy weapon sizes are available for use on spacecraft. Lasers and Grazers typically mounted in turrets (1500 cuft for turret space, 500 cuft for mounts and rotation space.) New Diasporia turrets typically do not contain crew spaces. Weapons may also be mounted in barbettes. Barbettes come in 2500 cutft and 5000 cuft versions which require 500 cuft and 1000 cuft of internal volume for mounts and rotation space respectively.
Smaller turrets can also be used for close support weapons (which in Traveller are called planetary weapons), but such weapons are typically only mounted on battleriders and small craft like pinnaces.
Weapons may also be fix mounted. Missile tubes may be fixed mounted individually or they may be mounted in missile bays. Missile bays typically come in 25,000 cuft and 50,000 cuft sizes. The difference in fixed mounted weapons and weapons mounted in a bay is that a weapon bay includes a targeting computer and laser communications links sufficient all of its launchers. Fixed mounted weapons must use an external computer with the proper software and a separate communication suite, which is probably mounted in a turret somewhere.
It is also possible to fix mount an energy weapon, but only the battleriders use spinal mounted energy weapons, typically heavily supplemented by missile tubes for use in the anti-missile role. A fixed mounted energy weapon cannot be used in the anti-missile role.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Monitors and Forts
So one might say, if the Grand Human Union is such a peaceful, benevolent place why does the Star Legion have such devastating firepower as embodied in First, Second and Third Raters?
The answer is monitors and forts.
A monitor is a 10 to 30 million cuft warship. They are heavily armored with force fields and armed with massive energy weapons and missile launchers. Unlike battleships they typically do not embark battleriders or troops. They also typically do not have shunting capability. That means that they are limited to accessing subspace using a gate.
That means that monitors are used as both system defense ships and gate defense platforms.
The development of the battleship was a direct result of the deployment of monitors which greatly outclassed the frigates and battleriders that existed at that time.
However dreadnoughts and superdreadnouths were a response to the even larger and more powerful forts developed to defend systems.
A fort is a grav powered installation typically grav anchored on the subspace side of a gate or in orbit near the real space side of a gate. With BG engines typically only within the 4 to 6 g range a fort can move only sufficiently to move to its place of station and make a poor target for ballistic weapons (like unpowered missiles.) Because it does not have to mount a powerful BG engine a fort is not limited to 250 million cuft. As a matter of fact it usually mounts more powerful force field armor than all but the most powerful superdreadnought as well as having a massive structural frame supported by structural integrity fields and physical armor as well as internal armor force fields.
Forts also typically mount massive energy weapons, missile launchers (for use in real space) as well a numerous battlerider squadrons. Forts are often located near each other where they can provide mutual fire support.
Like other combat vessels forts deploy either sensor drone nets or purpose built sensor arrays to enhance their abilities to detect incoming enemies.
Enemies who defeat gate defense forts often find themselves facing another layer of defensive positions on the far side of the gate in real space.
The answer is monitors and forts.
A monitor is a 10 to 30 million cuft warship. They are heavily armored with force fields and armed with massive energy weapons and missile launchers. Unlike battleships they typically do not embark battleriders or troops. They also typically do not have shunting capability. That means that they are limited to accessing subspace using a gate.
That means that monitors are used as both system defense ships and gate defense platforms.
The development of the battleship was a direct result of the deployment of monitors which greatly outclassed the frigates and battleriders that existed at that time.
However dreadnoughts and superdreadnouths were a response to the even larger and more powerful forts developed to defend systems.
A fort is a grav powered installation typically grav anchored on the subspace side of a gate or in orbit near the real space side of a gate. With BG engines typically only within the 4 to 6 g range a fort can move only sufficiently to move to its place of station and make a poor target for ballistic weapons (like unpowered missiles.) Because it does not have to mount a powerful BG engine a fort is not limited to 250 million cuft. As a matter of fact it usually mounts more powerful force field armor than all but the most powerful superdreadnought as well as having a massive structural frame supported by structural integrity fields and physical armor as well as internal armor force fields.
Forts also typically mount massive energy weapons, missile launchers (for use in real space) as well a numerous battlerider squadrons. Forts are often located near each other where they can provide mutual fire support.
Like other combat vessels forts deploy either sensor drone nets or purpose built sensor arrays to enhance their abilities to detect incoming enemies.
Enemies who defeat gate defense forts often find themselves facing another layer of defensive positions on the far side of the gate in real space.
Subspace Combat
In subspace combat the nature of the environment makes missiles useless. No matter how good their engines a missile effectively travels no faster than any other vehicle. This makes them easy prey for energy weapons.
Like missiles, railgun projectiles are really just matter enhanced with gravitational engines. They tend to lose momentum quickly and become ineffective at any kind of range.
Energy weapons ranges are drastically reduced, but their effectiveness within their useful range is unimpaired. Typically energy weapon ranges are reduced by 20, that is they are half as effective as they are in normal atmosphere.
Force fields are just as effective in subspace as in real space, but as a gravitic phenomenon are less detectable in the high gravametric environment of subspace. In other words a ship protected by a standard force field is harder to detect. Against the high gravometric background of subspace force field stealth technology is less effective.
On balance this makes it hard to detect protected warships at greater ranges, but distortion fields and masking are less effective at close ranges.
The heavy electromagnet interference in the subspace environment makes long range and active sensors not nearly as good as in real space. This is one reason road beacon stations are seeded so close together and why off road vehicles and ships must depend upon inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting and can only detect subspace beacons when they are fairly close to the system that has anchored them. This also makes the kinds of weapon ranges seen in real space battles untenable in subspace. Because of the high EM background EM masking and stealth become more effective.
Once away from the beacon stations of the Major Routes and Blue Highways accidentally meeting another vessel is unlikely. So battles in subspace tend to occur at gates or near system beacons. Of course this is where systems concentrate their own defenses when they expect an attack as well as where standard defenses are anchored.
Like missiles, railgun projectiles are really just matter enhanced with gravitational engines. They tend to lose momentum quickly and become ineffective at any kind of range.
Energy weapons ranges are drastically reduced, but their effectiveness within their useful range is unimpaired. Typically energy weapon ranges are reduced by 20, that is they are half as effective as they are in normal atmosphere.
Force fields are just as effective in subspace as in real space, but as a gravitic phenomenon are less detectable in the high gravametric environment of subspace. In other words a ship protected by a standard force field is harder to detect. Against the high gravometric background of subspace force field stealth technology is less effective.
On balance this makes it hard to detect protected warships at greater ranges, but distortion fields and masking are less effective at close ranges.
The heavy electromagnet interference in the subspace environment makes long range and active sensors not nearly as good as in real space. This is one reason road beacon stations are seeded so close together and why off road vehicles and ships must depend upon inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting and can only detect subspace beacons when they are fairly close to the system that has anchored them. This also makes the kinds of weapon ranges seen in real space battles untenable in subspace. Because of the high EM background EM masking and stealth become more effective.
Once away from the beacon stations of the Major Routes and Blue Highways accidentally meeting another vessel is unlikely. So battles in subspace tend to occur at gates or near system beacons. Of course this is where systems concentrate their own defenses when they expect an attack as well as where standard defenses are anchored.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Extensible Hulls
Small craft, such as brakes and HUVs often use extensible hulls to maximize usable space while in space or on the ground, yet allow for a more streamlined shape while transiting atmosphere. Extensible hull craft also allow for smaller hanger footprints while being carried aboard larger craft. They also sometimes allow hull compact enough to use transport portals, a reason many brakes and HUVs are held to 8 ft by 13 ft. cross sections to allow their use in standard 10 ft by 20 ft transport portals.
Slide compartments are skinned in hull sheets made of smart material that can expand to allow the underlying structure to slide out while maintaining an air tight envelope. The use of structural integrity fields allows both greater stress to be tolerated by the sliding section and helps maintain airtight integrity.
Slide compartments are skinned in hull sheets made of smart material that can expand to allow the underlying structure to slide out while maintaining an air tight envelope. The use of structural integrity fields allows both greater stress to be tolerated by the sliding section and helps maintain airtight integrity.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
(Mem)branes
Branes or Valter force membranes or v-branes are coherent sheaves which describe two dimensional manifolds located in three dimensional gravitic topology where matter interactions can be controlled in a localized space. Barnes manifolds, which are associated with B/G engines, are a type of v-branes. Higher level force field technology uses complex v-brane manifolds to describe their operation, but there are many other devices which use branes which are routinely used by Highland technology.
Anhydrous Branes are used as shower enclosures. Modern showers have body sprays which operate in a cycle using cleaning fluid and water rinse, then upon completion of the shower the user passes through the anhydrous brane which provides instantaneous drying. Water is prevented from passing the brane resulting in the hair and skin of the user being dried as the water is retained inside the shower.
Airlock Isolation Branes are used to retain atmosphere in lieu of solid doors in spacecraft. They make airlocks which cycle atmosphere obsolete. Well built airlocks still have quick cycle doors and emergency force fields to guard against brane failure considering the result of catastrophic failure.
Valter is a play on John Gutierrez last name which is derived from the "walter" from the Proto-Germanic vald- "rule" and hari "army".
Anhydrous Branes are used as shower enclosures. Modern showers have body sprays which operate in a cycle using cleaning fluid and water rinse, then upon completion of the shower the user passes through the anhydrous brane which provides instantaneous drying. Water is prevented from passing the brane resulting in the hair and skin of the user being dried as the water is retained inside the shower.
Airlock Isolation Branes are used to retain atmosphere in lieu of solid doors in spacecraft. They make airlocks which cycle atmosphere obsolete. Well built airlocks still have quick cycle doors and emergency force fields to guard against brane failure considering the result of catastrophic failure.
Valter is a play on John Gutierrez last name which is derived from the "walter" from the Proto-Germanic vald- "rule" and hari "army".
Monday, August 21, 2017
Highland Department of Roads
The Highland Department of Roads maintains the system of gates, beacon stations, and waystations along the Major Routes in subspace. They also operate the hyperdrills that stabilize subspace and make possible the placement of gates in planetary orbit. Workers of the department are called roadies.
Along with members of the Grand Postal Service roadies also maintain and operate the hypercable system. They work with the posties in ensuring messages are delivered once they have exited the hypercable system for delivery to systems not connected.
As might be expected with such a wide range of responsibilities there is no typical roadie.
Within the Grand Human Union the department maintains huge traveling road camps in subspace, typically built on large 500,000-1,500,000 cuft ship platforms which contain quarters, workshops and hangars for hyperdrills, mining craft and other supporting vehicles.
Subspace contains no natural occurring bodies to provide construction material so road camps typically ferry raw materials from asteroid belts and gas giants in handy systems in normal space into subspace to provide stock for the huge industrial nanofactory fabricators located in the road camp workshops and for the portable fabricator machines used to construct the gates, beacon stations and waystation frames. Much of the interior of these structures are constructed by follow on contractors.
Typically thousands of workers support the typical road camp and the camp supports dependents as well. Many couples work the road camps and spend most of their lives traveling along the roads.
Operating roads still require a cadre of specialist technicians to support the repair robots which maintain the beacon stations. Some live at one of the waystations and travel down their route in brakes or HUVs configured as repair vehicles, returning to family after a few days on the road seeing to their charges.
Others are under the care of technician couples working from saucer shaped ketches, 15,000-50,000 cuft vessels containing living spaces, workshops and stock storage holds, most commonly staffed by extended family. In many ways this class of roadies most closely resembles the lighthouse keepers of maritime days, living in relative isolation as they move down the road of their section, maintaining beacon stations, picking up repair stock at roadie depots on the waystations and repairing hypercable installations.
Another responsibility of the Department of Roads is the DOR stormwatch channel. Stormwatch sensors located in beacon stations transmit gravametric information to weather centers located at certain waystations in each road section. The weather stations analyze the information and post storm warnings to be broadcast from the beacon stations to local traffic on the DOR stormwatch channel.
Keeping the stormwatch sensors operating is a part of the job of the maintenance road crews. Most of the storm analysis on the establish network is done by AI, but on new roads or ones still under construction people still have to aid in storm detection.
Along with members of the Grand Postal Service roadies also maintain and operate the hypercable system. They work with the posties in ensuring messages are delivered once they have exited the hypercable system for delivery to systems not connected.
As might be expected with such a wide range of responsibilities there is no typical roadie.
Within the Grand Human Union the department maintains huge traveling road camps in subspace, typically built on large 500,000-1,500,000 cuft ship platforms which contain quarters, workshops and hangars for hyperdrills, mining craft and other supporting vehicles.
Subspace contains no natural occurring bodies to provide construction material so road camps typically ferry raw materials from asteroid belts and gas giants in handy systems in normal space into subspace to provide stock for the huge industrial nanofactory fabricators located in the road camp workshops and for the portable fabricator machines used to construct the gates, beacon stations and waystation frames. Much of the interior of these structures are constructed by follow on contractors.
Typically thousands of workers support the typical road camp and the camp supports dependents as well. Many couples work the road camps and spend most of their lives traveling along the roads.
Operating roads still require a cadre of specialist technicians to support the repair robots which maintain the beacon stations. Some live at one of the waystations and travel down their route in brakes or HUVs configured as repair vehicles, returning to family after a few days on the road seeing to their charges.
Others are under the care of technician couples working from saucer shaped ketches, 15,000-50,000 cuft vessels containing living spaces, workshops and stock storage holds, most commonly staffed by extended family. In many ways this class of roadies most closely resembles the lighthouse keepers of maritime days, living in relative isolation as they move down the road of their section, maintaining beacon stations, picking up repair stock at roadie depots on the waystations and repairing hypercable installations.
Another responsibility of the Department of Roads is the DOR stormwatch channel. Stormwatch sensors located in beacon stations transmit gravametric information to weather centers located at certain waystations in each road section. The weather stations analyze the information and post storm warnings to be broadcast from the beacon stations to local traffic on the DOR stormwatch channel.
Keeping the stormwatch sensors operating is a part of the job of the maintenance road crews. Most of the storm analysis on the establish network is done by AI, but on new roads or ones still under construction people still have to aid in storm detection.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The University System
Residential educational institutions in New Diasporia, at least in the Highlands tend to follow the monastic traditions rather than the German based university model of the progressive period. These institutions are infused with the rhythm of the liturgy through participation in the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. While not all students will participate in each activity, some members of the community will participate all functions on behalf of all the members.
Even the largest universities tend to be divided into colleges. Each college is centered around the four part structure of its chapel, library, dining hall, and houses. For many colleges the fifth structure consisting of the monastic community of monks and/or sisters also exists.
There are several key elements which make these schools different from those that existed in the progressive era. First the requirement that students attend formal meals in hall. This has many benefits in both physical health and spiritual wellbeing. Next of course the houses are all gender segregated. More over each house has its own chapel, where is reserved the Blessed Sacrament. Broadly speaking the environment of each house room, often decorated and named, is designed to edify the occupants rather than drag them down to some common level of perceived equality.
Although education continues to in some way an optimal combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, exams and coursework, it is not limited to the relationship between teacher and student or even between student and student, but also between all and God.
Since it is impossible to build the total man or woman without recourse to the
pillars of grammar, mathematics, and rhetoric this is the basis of education in all subjects. History and language, mastery of both Latin and Greek, as well as modern language stands as primary requirements for later mastery of science and engineering.
As in previous times there is no substitute for the rule of thumb which says that one must spend at least 10,000 hours to master a field. The idea that one can putter around for a few hours a day for eight months a year and somehow earn a degree as an expert in the subject has been purged. Students are expected to spend a majority of their time on studies, for most of the year. This makes time off, primarily on Sundays and feast days, as well as the joyous seasons of Christmas and Easter all the more sweet.
Even the largest universities tend to be divided into colleges. Each college is centered around the four part structure of its chapel, library, dining hall, and houses. For many colleges the fifth structure consisting of the monastic community of monks and/or sisters also exists.
There are several key elements which make these schools different from those that existed in the progressive era. First the requirement that students attend formal meals in hall. This has many benefits in both physical health and spiritual wellbeing. Next of course the houses are all gender segregated. More over each house has its own chapel, where is reserved the Blessed Sacrament. Broadly speaking the environment of each house room, often decorated and named, is designed to edify the occupants rather than drag them down to some common level of perceived equality.
Although education continues to in some way an optimal combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, exams and coursework, it is not limited to the relationship between teacher and student or even between student and student, but also between all and God.
Since it is impossible to build the total man or woman without recourse to the
pillars of grammar, mathematics, and rhetoric this is the basis of education in all subjects. History and language, mastery of both Latin and Greek, as well as modern language stands as primary requirements for later mastery of science and engineering.
As in previous times there is no substitute for the rule of thumb which says that one must spend at least 10,000 hours to master a field. The idea that one can putter around for a few hours a day for eight months a year and somehow earn a degree as an expert in the subject has been purged. Students are expected to spend a majority of their time on studies, for most of the year. This makes time off, primarily on Sundays and feast days, as well as the joyous seasons of Christmas and Easter all the more sweet.
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